I just went out and bought some large hay nets, with ! inch holes in them. I like hay nets because they keep the horse busy, it saves hay, and it prevents a lot of health problems. But I was just wondering, what is your opinion on hay nets? What are your experiences with them? Good, or Bad?

deserthorsewoman

03-21-2013 04:39 PM

You're talking about slowfeeder nets?
Love them hay consumption went from 25 to 15lbs per horse and they always have some left when I refill.

MAG1723

03-21-2013 04:40 PM

[QUOTE=deserthorsewoman;1981450]You're talking about slowfeeder nets?

Yes! Sorry I forgot to mention that:oops:

DraftyAiresMum

03-21-2013 04:43 PM

I had one for my old gelding and it was great. Kept him busy and saved tremendously on hay (he was notorious for creating a pile with loose hay and then peeing on it).Posted via Mobile Device

kenda

03-21-2013 04:44 PM

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Love slow feeder nets. I have one for my girls stall and one for her paddock and they keep her going throughout the day with a very small amount of wastage while the horses on either side grind about 1/4 of their hay into the mud.

One thing to consider, my coach was feeding her horses out of nets for a little while until a couple of them started ingesting strands of the rope. They were a little overly enthusiastic about getting that hay out. I personally have not had this problem at all.

Wallaby

03-21-2013 04:46 PM

I use a hay net, not a slowfeeder net, just your average hay net, and I really like it! I bet I would like it even more if it were a slow-feed one! haha

Before I started using a net, I was placing my mare's hay (about 20lbs, I like to free-choice hay during the winter and she eats about 15lbs/day) on the ground in her stall which worked but she would pick through it, find her favorite parts, then soil the rest. A LOT of hay was being wasted. Since I got the hay net, she still wastes a bit of hay every night but the waste is very minimal.

My least favorite thing about the hay net is that she always ends up leaving her "least favorite" hay in it, in the bottom of the net, so over time, it sort of builds up. I end up using that "least favorite" hay as bedding for my goats so it all works out but I still wish she would eat it all at some point! haha

And, along with the $$ benefits for me, she LOVES slinging that net around! :lol:

deserthorsewoman

03-21-2013 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallaby
(Post 1981522)

I use a hay net, not a slowfeeder net, just your average hay net, and I really like it! I bet I would like it even more if it were a slow-feed one! haha

Before I started using a net, I was placing my mare's hay (about 20lbs, I like to free-choice hay during the winter and she eats about 15lbs/day) on the ground in her stall which worked but she would pick through it, find her favorite parts, then soil the rest. A LOT of hay was being wasted. Since I got the hay net, she still wastes a bit of hay every night but the waste is very minimal.

My least favorite thing about the hay net is that she always ends up leaving her "least favorite" hay in it, in the bottom of the net, so over time, it sort of builds up. I end up using that "least favorite" hay as bedding for my goats so it all works out but I still wish she would eat it all at some point! haha

And, along with the $$ benefits for me, she LOVES slinging that net around! :lol:

Easy way to get slowfeeder benefit: use two normal nets, one inside the other, to create smaller holes....maybe she'll get to the not so tasty hay then;-)

MAG1723

03-21-2013 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DraftyAiresMum
(Post 1981506)

I had one for my old gelding and it was great. Kept him busy and saved tremendously on hay (he was notorious for creating a pile with loose hay and then peeing on it).Posted via Mobile Device

My gelding LOVES to waste hay. He makes such a mess of his stall it was unbelievable. He would only eat about half his hay then make a mess out of the rest. Since I got my hay nets, (Which I have only had for 3 feedings) I can already see a difference.:D

Lockwood

03-21-2013 05:45 PM

I also have hay wasters and I love (LOVE) my slow feeder hay nets and after discovering how great they were, made a large one for round bales.
But between rounds, I use the smaller ones stuffed full and it keeps them busy all day.

My thing with hay nets is I'm a freak about making sure the gathering strings/tying strings are are tied securely with the ends tied back into the net or other side of whatever the net is tied to.
I'm always afraid someone will get caught and hung up. I also do not use them with halters.

Yeah, guess who hooked his halter snap within an hour of my first using them. :oops:
Thankfully it only took me a few minutes to figure out why he was standing sooo still. :wink:

amberly

03-21-2013 06:05 PM

I had one once. I like it a lot. It also made the hay easier to haul when moving the horses haha! But my parents and barn owner don't want them because they say that it is a fire hazard..well, hay alone is also a fire hazard.